Rules
'The Game' Welcome to the official historical discussion of the Desert Imperium. In this game, a group of players take on the roles of experts in the liberal arts and sciences cooperating to compile a reference of the culture, technology, and history of an ancient nation. Each week the players will post a new article that discusses one aspect of the Imperium. We shall advance in this way until each of us has (hopefully) produced 26 articles, one for each letter the alphabet. Along the way we will (again, hopefully) enjoy each others' creativity, and at the end we will be rewarded with a comprehensive encyclopedia of information about the world we have designed together. To help bring the first-timers into the fold, I am posting the rules as I remember them. These rules are subject to change as we continue our search for the actual text, but until that time, go with the general guidelines you read here. 'The Authorsona' In this game, we roleplay as elite historians compiling an encyclopedia on a lost civilization. Before you begin your first article, think about the author you plan to portray. The first basic questions to ask yourself are: *What is this author's name? *On what subjects is my author an expert? Over the next week, give your character a page under the "Authors" section of the homepage. Over time, as we learn about the world, you can start to make a biography that includes information about your author's life experience, the prejudices that color his or her view of history, etc. Your author's voice is the biggest thing to think about, since you will be writing in it from the start. 'Getting Started' #Begin by creating a new Wikia account. Use your author's last name as the username. #Once you have made your account, you can start working on your bio and your first article. To create a page on the wiki, hit "Contribute" in the top right of the page and choose the "Add a Page" option. When you have finished the content of your page and created it, you can link it to the main page by hitting "Edit" on the main page, clicking where you want the link to be, hitting the "Link" button (the little chain links in the top left) and typing the title of the article you just created into the prompt box. #Each week, each historian will author one article. You can post your article any time during the week. To create a new article, create a new page and link it beneath the appropriate letter on the homepage. The article may concern anything you choose pertaining to the Desert Imperium and the lands around it- an aspect of the environment or society, a famous person, an important institution, an event or period of time, etc. #If you wish, you may comment on the articles of others, praising their work or disputing their claims. Also be sure to check your past articles occasionally, that you may guard yourself from the disputations of others! #On the following week, we will begin our next article. 'Creating an Article' 'The Number One Rule' The most important thing to remember when writing or commenting on an article is that what is written becomes canon. Every subject an author chooses to discuss is canonical to the world of the Desert Imperium. When authoring your articles, be meticulous about avoiding contradictions with other articles- it is part of the challenge of the game. There are, however, many possible perspectives on a single issue. You are welcome and encouraged to dispute another author's perspective in the comments section of an article, just remember that the event, person, or other subject he or she described did ''exist/occur/what have you. 'Subjects' Your article may discuss any subject you wish, so long as it concerns the Desert Imperium and begins with the appropriate letter for that week. Your article can concern, but is '''not at all limited to', any of these topics: *a person *a place *an event *an institution *a period of time *an invention or important object *an environmental feature *a political or social movement 'Ghost Links & References' In every article, you must include at least one ghost link. This means making reference to a future article (i.e. an article that starts with any letter that has not been done yet). When you create a ghost link, make a new, empty page for it. Put a link to this empty page on the homepage under the appropriate letter. When the week comes around for the authors to tackle that letter, one of us must write that article instead of making up a new one. The original creator of the ghost link cannot write the article for it, and there can never be more than five articles for a letter. So, if five ghosts have been made starting with 'K', you cannot add a sixth. In articles after the first, you must also include one reference to an earlier article. Simply make mention to an article that has already been written. You cannot make references to your own articles. When you make a reference, be sure to provide a link to that article. So that the links are somewhat evenly distributed at the end, we gradually phase out ghost links over time in place of references: *Article A: two ghost links. *Articles B through I: two ghost links, one reference. *Articles J through R: one ghost link, one reference. *Articles S through Z: two references. For example, let's say I'm working on my 'D' article. I have chosen to discuss deathtrees, a rare type of tree found in the desert. I have to make two ghost links, so I discuss how the tree's population declined with the invention of the sandship (something I just made up), and how dissolving the bark into water and imbibing it is a known cure for marksman's blight (something I just made up.) I use the link tool to make the word "sandship" link to an empty page entitled "Sandship" and the words "marksman's blight" do the same. After publishing my article, I go to the homepage and create a link for sandship under the S articles tab, and for marksman's blight under the M tab. I've just ghosted two pages! 'Maximum Words' In the past, the length of our articles managed to creep higher and higher until they were just overwhelming. So that our articles don't spiral out of control, there is a 300 word limit in effect this time. It is okay once in a while to surpass this by a small margin if your article really demands it. 'The Prompt' To serve as a launch pad, John, Carmen and I have randomly generated a prompt. We have also supplemented it with some random rolls to get an idea of a few features of the world that weren't specified by said prompt. The following is canon: ''This secretive desert imperium was noted for its advanced tactics. Seven centuries ago, it was destroyed by bizarre experiments, leaving behind only records and relics. The magic known by the imperium was immensely powerful, but only available to those who committed themselves fully to its study. ''